IN TOUCH WITH NATURE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14578, 17 July 1909, Page 5

IN TOUCH WITH NATURE

NOTKS ON NATURAL HISTORY IN NFW ZEALAND. (By .Takes Dnuititoxn, F.L.S., F.Z.S.) Mr 11. C. Field, the author of '"New Zealand Ferns," who lives at Aramoho, near Wnnganui, states that when lie first went to the district, nearly 60 years ago, the kakapo, which, it is believed, was always somewhat rare in the North Island, was met there occasionally. He has not seen a specimen for 40 years. In his district the Kaknpos fed on a particular kind of sedge, which the Maoris called " kiiikakapo," that is, the kakapo's food. Mr Field comments on the variety of colouring of the kaka parrots. He has Been some that were entirely crimson. In the " seventies" Mr Cough, who lived at Upokongaro, four miles from Aramoho, had a very beautiful kaka. Its plumago was cream colour, hut every feather was tipped with crimson. To Europeans it displayed very friendly feeling, and would play with a finger presented to it, but when a. Maori' attempted the same familiarity it bit his finger to the bone, It went to a neighbouring bush to feed and returned to its master's hut, but ono day it was missing, .having been shot, probably by a Maori. If a kaka is shot and is allowed to lie on the ground its cries attract friends from a!) around. In the days when the kaka was not brought under the expansive sliield of the Government's protection this habit led to heavy slaughter. Mr Field says that the godwit. or kuaka, lias the samo fatal habit. Thirty years in the bush, exploring country surveying road-lines, have given _ Mr Field many opportunities for studying native animals and plants.. He regrets the fact that many of his bird friends in the district are disappearing. He fairs that soon there will be no pigeons at all in that part of the Doniiiuon. In the summer time they feed on the ripe berries and get fat and in good condition. They then pair. Like all the members of the Columbidre, they lay only two eggs each year. The eggs are laid in the late autumn, and the young birds are hatched ill May or early in June. As the shooting season under the Animals' Protection Act extends from May 1 fo July 31, large numbers of young pigeons are deprived of the attention of their parents, and starve to death or are killed by cats or other natural enemies, notably stoats and weasels. The rodents climb the trees and attack even old birds on tlieir nests; the dead birds are sometimes found on the ground with their throats bitten. As Mr •t'ield says, it is not easy to understand how, in these circumstances, the pigeon is likely to be preserved. The sparrow-hawk, the native thrush, and tho native crow, all plentiful in the district once, have disappeared, and the ground birds and their eggs have made food for wild pigs. It is 28 years 6ince Mr Field saw a specimen of the New Zealand quail. Mr Robert Guthrie, 01 Burke's Pass, in the Mackenzie Country, South Canterbury, states that he has had a long aequatntacc with the bird called the " laughing jackass." Apparently, it is one of the petrels. He has found it in large numbers in tlio wild and desolate gorges of the Mackenr.io Country, where hardly anything is seen except stupendous rocks with dark holes and crevasses. It is heard most frequently in the early part of the night, after darkness has set in, when the weather is wet, cold, and foggy. It is a, rapid llier, mid usually ilies high in the air. On many occasions he has seen these birds, or, rather, be says, has had a brief glimpse of them, "At a place known as tlio Rough Rock Mistake Station, where they- are very plentiful, I spent a night in camp with-the gun trying to get one. I succeeded at last, or, at anyrate, I think I did. I was standing close to my camp, boliind a largo rock. The night was drizzling with rain, and was foggy, and the birds were Hying about and laughing almost continuously. There was darkness all round, with tlio exeeption of an opening in the, rocks between inc and the sky. This wits a place just light enough to enable a quick, perceptible shadow to be thrown when the birds flew through it. With llie gun at the I concentrated all my attention 011 this, spot. "Time after time I saw the shadow, and almost immediately afterwards heard the laugh. For about three hours I emptied my gun many tinws at the shadows. Next morning, at daylight,, I went out to ascertain the results of the night's shooting. There was oidy one bird._ It had a- dirty bluish hack, a dirty white and grey belly, and webbed ieat, and the shape of its wings indicated that it was a rapid flier." Some time afterwards Mr Guthrie, wnile climbing amongst tho rocks above the place where he had been shooting, found the dead body of another member of the species in a hole in the rock. He. does not think that the "laughing" bird he has known for 30 years is an owl. The owl is a'noiseless flier, and he has often heard tho quick' " swish'' of wings at the same time as the " laugh" is uttered. He has lieaid this somewhat mysterious bird with a hilarious disposition" amongst the limestone cliffs of the Albury 'Estate, A'hcro Mr W. W.' Smith state's that he has heard "the laughing owl," There is a fascinating field ot study for 1.110 naturalist who takes New Zealand's spiders in hand. There are about 200 species of them, and hardly any, except the ingenious architect of'the trap-door nest and the venomous katipo, has received very serious attention. Mr W. M. D. Howes, of Albany, Auckland, describes the pleasure he has obtained torn his observations of these creatures. There is one, a small "aerial" spider, which has attracted special attention from him. It apparently drifts at the mercy of the wind. He thought at first that the spider used tlio means of flight to catch on somo high tree, in order to obviato the labour of climbing, but in nearly every instance in which ho has seen the start of the journey, the wind would have taken the spider a mile or more before a tree of note was reached. It has occurred to him that the spider might have a drifting net or web at-the lifting end, and so drift through the air, with a view to catching any small flies it might run against. of spiders generally, he says that a surprisingly large number of webs are spun in a very small area. This is especially noticeable on a frosty morning. He has noted that nearly all webs are broadside on fo the wind. If there are any exceptions, he believes that they are old webs that remained intact after the direction of the wind had changed.